Division of international Studies in identity crisis

By Yun Suh-young

Since Ewha Womans University established the first Division of International Studies (DIS) in Korea a decade ago at the undergraduate level, many other schools followed in its footsteps.

Korea University set up the department in 2002, followed by Hanyang in 2004, Kyung Hee in 2005, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in 2005, and Yonsei in 2006.

With a lofty goal of providing an interdisciplinary and comprehensive global education to nurture future global leaders, they conducted the entire curriculum in English. Fields of study range from international law, economics and business to international relations and development.

Most of the graduates, armed with high-level of English proficiency and a global perspective, land decent jobs in diverse sectors of the global arena relatively easily compared to their peers in other departments.

But the program has a fly in the ointment ― the curriculum is too broad and too general.

The pitfall is that unless they find a specific career path earlier in the school year and focus their studies on it, they are bound to suffer from an “identity crisis.”

A broader perspective

Most students thought highly of the comprehensive curriculum.

“We learn to think from a broader perspective while studying at DIS,” said Hong Yoon-a, a graduate of Ewha Womans University.

Son Hyung-il, a student double-majoring in international studies at Korea University, said, “The biggest strength of the DIS program is that it teaches you how to look at the world from a global perspective by learning various different topics. We learn law, economics, environment and many other subjects in a global point of view.”

Jang Sae-hyun, a senior at Hanyang University DIS, also echoed their views.

“The DIS curriculum allows you to encounter a diverse range of fields of study. The effect of broadening our perspectives is definitely positive,” Jang said.

Others said the learning process was helpful.

“It’s good that all of the classes are conducted in English. The courses are interdisciplinary so we learn how different fields of studies connect. Debating and essay writing are routine at the department. Preparing for them helped a lot in honing our speaking and writing skills,” said Kim Yeon-ji, a DIS graduate at Kyung Hee University.

Broad but shallow

Offering a broad curriculum, however, is a double-edged sword.

Schools’ efforts to diversify the DIS curriculum often come at the cost of its depth. They lack higher level courses, with only very few courses being offered per field of study.

“It’s a pity that the courses are shallow in terms of depth. For example, even if I’m interested in environmental issues and want to study more about it, there are only one or two courses offered in a year. In the end, we have to study on our own through books or by joining academic clubs. If you want to learn more, then you need to go to graduate school,” said Son from Korea University.

A DIS graduate who declined to be named said, “All of the DIS courses seem like basic courses. I feel like I’m taking five different 101 courses a semester. Higher level courses for each field aren’t offered so students lack in specialty. If they’re asked to answer something technical, they become speechless.”

Therefore, students have no other choice but to double-major in a specific field of study at a different department if they want to learn more about it.

“Double-major is a must because it’s difficult to delve into a specific field of study at DIS,” said Son.

“Most people feel like they need another major. Learning a diverse range of studies is both a strength and a weakness,” said Cho Eun-sun, a senior at Ewha Womans University DIS.

Students also said they’re struck with an identity crisis before applying for jobs because they don’t know what to tout as their specialty.

“I felt like I became well-informed after learning various subjects but because of the broadness of the curriculum, I didn’t know what to say my specialty was when I applied for jobs,” said Kim. “I was interested in international development and corporate social responsibilities so I had to supplement my shallow depth of knowledge on them from extracurricular activities.”

Some are confused about which career path they should choose upon graduation.

“Because of the difficulty of specializing in a certain field of study, many students get confused about what they should do after graduation,” said Son.

Another graduate said her college life would have been meaningless had she had not majored in another field.

“I wanted to work in finance but the DIS courses don’t offer higher level curriculum on them. I double-majored in business at the business department and this helped me a lot in getting a job,” she said. “If I hadn’t double-majored, I wouldn’t have been able to answer technical questions during the job interview only with the general knowledge I acquired at DIS.”

She added that sometimes people ask what “DIS” is.

“Most people don’t know what DIS is. They confuse us with other majors similar to ours like international commerce or anything with the word ‘international’ in them.”

To supplement their lack of specialty, most DIS students work harder.

“The employment rate of DIS students is relatively high compared to those at other departments. But it’s difficult to distinguish whether it’s the department that is creditable or the students themselves. One thing is for sure ― a significant amount of extra effort is needed by the DIS students to make up for their generalist background,” said Jang.

DIS needs to evolve

The key merits of the DIS program are the all-English, broad and comprehensive curricula. Other merits include strong support from the school and an open and free classroom environment.

“People say our DIS program receives most support from the school,” said Cho.

DIS is also a great environment to adjust for students who have lived abroad for a long time.

“DIS is the only place where students who have spent most of their lives abroad can adjust most easily because of the English curricula. The atmosphere is very open and free. Small classes allow students to debate and discuss freely. A friend of mine at a different department said she was surprised by the proactive atmosphere at our classes,” said Choi Seung-eun, a graduate from Ewha Womans University DIS.

Despite the merits, DIS still needs to change if it wants to live longer, students and graduates say. What’s most important is that it needs to offer a solution to the identity crisis its students are facing.

“If DIS fails to reach a balance between fostering a generalist and a specialist, students and the department will both be left confused about their identity,” said Kim from Kyung Hee University. “I wish we could learn in a generalist perspective in the lower grades and in a specialist perspective in the higher grades.”

Others suggested an increase in the number of students studying in DIS so that more classes could be set up.

“If more students studied at DIS, for example students from other departments also double-majoring in our department, wouldn’t the number of courses increase?” said Cho Lyee-jin, a DIS graduate. “I wish the school would support and encourage more students to participate in extracurricular activities like club activities related to their fields of study.”

Others called for a more concrete and professional curriculum.

“In terms of practically, there’s no other department producing competent and flexible-minded, talented individuals like DIS. But it is definitely true that there a big gap between what the school aims to do with the department and what is really taught. In that perspective, change is necessary,” said Jang from Hanyang University. “I hope the department could support students in a way that helps them decide which direction they want to move in at an early stage. Also, I hope they provide a more specialized curriculum so that we can graduate with high-quality knowledge and not be seen as students just good at English.”